In virtually all home environments, it is common to restrain a toddler in one form or another. A toddler would suffer from loneliness if placed in a separate room alone and away from other human beings. Countless toddlers suffer the fate of such strict confinement. Traditionally, the only way to keep toddlers within the comfort zone of the parents is to place them into a tiny pen, strap them into a highchair, or to install unsightly fencing. Psychologically, such confinement can be damaging to the toddler as the toddler matures.
In the past, various devices have been developed which can sound an alarm when the child goes beyond a given area or physically restrain the movement of the toddler. However, heretofore, there have been few advances in the field which allow the toddler unrestrained movement within a given territory.
In the past, U.S. Pat. No. 1,639,424, issued on Aug. 16, 1927, to M. Breslin, U.S. Pat. No. 1,651,561, issued on Dec. 6, 1927, to R. E. Storey, U.S. Pat. No. 2,434,968, issuing on Jan. 27, 1948, to B. I. Smith, and U.S. Pat. No. 2,758,595, issued on Aug. 14, 1956, to C. R. Lovett describe various harnesses for use with children. Each of these harness devices is designed so as to be attached to the body of the toddler and to restrain the movement of the toddler beyond a given area. In some cases, these harnesses are particularly designed to restrict the movement of the toddler to the particular location in which the toddler is placed. In other circumstances, the harnesses are designed so as to allow the toddler to only move for a given distance before the toddler is "jerked" to a stopping position. All of these approaches of harnessing the child are uncomfortable for the child and unduly restrict the motion and movement of the toddler.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,780,706, issued on Oct. 25, 1988, to N. Bollag describes a toddler training device which includes a pressure mat that is sensitive to the weight of the toddler. A sounder unit provides a loud, high-frequency sound whenever the toddler moves beyond a predetermined perimeter. The alarm is intended to emit a loud, high frequency tone that is disturbing and startling to the toddler. Such a sound would also serve to alert parents of the movement of the toddler beyond the given perimeter. This device does not prevent the toddler from moving over the alarm area and can be quite traumatic to the toddler.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus that effectively confines the area of movement of the toddler.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an apparatus that controls the area of movement of the toddler.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a toddler restraint apparatus that is slim, lightweight, foldable, and durable.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a restraint apparatus that assures the safety of the toddler.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a toddler restraint apparatus that can be adapted to feet and/or knees of the toddler.
These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from a reading of the attached specification and appended claims.